Dubai Capitals Win First ILT20 Title with 4-Wicket Victory Over Desert Vipers

Dubai Capitals have clinched their first-ever title in the UAE’s ILT20 tournament by defeating Desert Vipers by 4 wickets in the final.

After losing the toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Desert Vipers were asked to bat first. They faced early pressure, losing both openers Alex Hales and Gurbaz for just 5 runs each. The team was in a difficult position, but Max Holden stepped up to stabilize the innings.

Holden played an outstanding knock of 76 runs off 51 balls, while the team captain Sam Curran contributed 62 runs off 33 balls. Vipers set a target of 189 runs in their 20 overs. Obed McCoy was the standout bowler for the Capitals, taking 2 wickets.

In response, Dubai Capitals were in trouble early on, losing 3 wickets for 31 runs. However, opener Shai Hope played a crucial knock of 43 runs off 39 balls. The turning point came when Rovman Powell, after surviving a stumping dismissal thanks to an umpire’s no-ball call, went on to play a match-winning innings of 63 runs off 38 balls.

In the final overs, Dasun Shanaka (21 off 10 balls) and Sikandar Raza (34 off 12 balls) accelerated the scoring and guided the team to victory, chasing the target with 4 balls to spare and 6 wickets down.

For Desert Vipers, David Payne and Mohammad Amir each took 2 wickets, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Capitals from securing their maiden title.